Neal Brown recognizes the strength of his 2023 roster is going to be in the running back room.

And any good coach has the ability to take the pieces available on the roster and get the most out of them. That means finding ways to be both more creative and versatile with the running back position.

The Mountaineers already have four high-quality options in the backfield in CJ Donaldson, Jaylen Anderson, Justin Johnson and Tony Mathis but have added two others in the recruiting class in Jahiem White and DJ Oliver.

Oliver, 5-foot-11, 240-pounds, is a power back that has speed. He was a state finalist in the 100-meters, shot put and weight lifting showcasing his well-rounded skill set.

The Mountaineers got involved led by running backs coach Chad Scott but had a connection with Tanner Jones, a former quarterback under Brown during his time at Troy, as the head coach at Port St. Joe.

The Rivals.com three-star wasn’t very active with the recruiting process or taking visits, but impressed at a camp with his speed and size. Combine that with his contact balance and versatility to be used in the passing game and it makes him an intriguing fit moving forward.

“I saw him do a backflip at 240-plus pounds and he catches the ball really well,” Brown said.

White is a different style of back stature wise at 5-foot-9, 187-pounds, but caught the eyes of the coaching staff with his performance at a recruiting camp ahead of his junior season. He is a talented pass catcher that even lined up at slot receiver and dominated there at the aforementioned camp but has proven chops as a ballcarrier with 6,000 rushing yards in his career.

“He really put on a show,” Brown said.

The Mountaineers understand what they have in the backfield but that means finding ways to get more than one running back on the field at a time. And in order to do that, each of them must bring different things to the table to maximize those snaps.

Donaldson is a former inside receiver and is an excellent route runner with good hands, while Anderson also spent time playing out of empty in high school and caught the ball down the field.

Both Johnson and Mathis have continued to progress where they can be active in the backfield and split out, but each of the four have the ability to block.

“We’re going to work to get them on the field,” Brown said.

Versatility is the name of the game in the backfield and the Mountaineers believe they have it on the roster and with the incoming recruiting class.

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